J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT Stake Boosted by Eldred Rock Partners LLC

Eldred Rock Partners LLC increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 84,910 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,167 shares during the period. J.B. Hunt Transport Services accounts for 5.3% of Eldred Rock Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Eldred Rock Partners LLC owned 0.09% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $24,576,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,457,000 after buying an additional 1,447,993 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth about $200,587,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 75,567.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,006,377 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $195,580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005,047 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $110,434,000 after purchasing an additional 635,172 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 272.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 747,377 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $145,245,000 after purchasing an additional 546,880 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $268.52 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.12 and a 52-week high of $299.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $280.35 and its 200 day moving average is $246.28. The company has a market cap of $25.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.03, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.30.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.20. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The business had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total value of $426,015.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,510,362.81. This trade represents a 8.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total value of $2,002,040.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 23,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,281,125.62. This trade represents a 24.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 15,847 shares of company stock valued at $4,162,861 in the last quarter. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on JBHT shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup restated a “market perform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $261.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.30.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.